Electric circuit for controlling



April 29, 1952 A. M. GORDON ELECTRIC CIRCUIT FOR CONTROLLING FARE REGISTERING MACHINES Filed July 21, 1949 f/excwra/er M6 INVENTOR.

OldO/Z /Jaw! A TTORA/EYS- Patented Apr. 29, 1952 ELECTRIC CIRCUIT FOR CONTROLLING FARE REGISTERING MACHINES Alexander M. Gordon, Providence, R. I., assignor to Max L. Grant, Providence, R. I.

Application July 21, 1949, Serial No. 106,074

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to an electric circuit for controlling a fare registering machine, particularly a machine of the construction shown in my copending application Serial No. 83,066, filed March 23, 1949.

The fare registering machine shown in the above application comprises in general a plurality of solenoid-operated counters, each operated di rectly from a photocell, the conduction of which is varied according to the size of the coin passed between the photocell and its exciter lamp. The

I signal produced from the photocell is passed to vacuum tubes, there being a tube or triode section of a tube for each coin to be registered which amplifies the signal and by means of a relay causes it to actuate a specifi solenoid which in turn operates the particular counter associated with the coin passed between the photocell and its exciter lamp.

The object of this invention in general is the provision of an electric circuit for controlling a fare registering machine in which circuit a single amplifying tube will be employed for amplifying the photocell signal.

A more specific object of theinvention is the provision or an electric circuit of the above character in which the amplified signals will be passed on to actuate pilot relays which in turn will operate secondary or power relays to energize the counter solenoids.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing the figure shows an electric circuit embodying my invention.

Referring to the drawing, l6 designates a photocell and its exciter lamp having a source of potential 66. A plate |2 having a scanning opening I3 is positioned between the said lamp and photocell. The light rays from the lamp passing through the opening I3 onto the'cathode 29 of the photocell, a rotor |4 having recesses or pockets I5 therein opening in the periphery thereof is mounted for rotation between the plate I2 and the photocell ID. The rotor is mechanically linked (not shown) to a solenoid l6 which upon the energizing thereof will rotate the said rotor a partial rotation to position an empty pocket IS in line with the opening l3 to be in position for receiving a coin to be registered. The walls of each pocket l5 are designed in a manner wherein each coin according to its diameter will block a portion of or the entire light from the exciter lamp passing through the opening I 3 so as to reduce the conduction of the photocell and provide a signal of a predetermined constant fixed value for each coin positioned before the scanning opening I3. The construction of the pocket of the coin registering machine is shown in my copending application Serial No. 83,066.

The signal produced from the variable resistance photocell I0 is applied to the grid circuit of a triode connected 6V6 cathode follower tube I1 which is biased to normally cut oil when photocell ID is at maximum conduction. The anode of the photocell I0 is connected through a conductor |8 to the junction point I9 and thence through conductor 20 to the grid 2| of the tube H, from junction point l9, then through resistor 22 and conductor 23 to the positive side of a source of potential 24, the negative of which is connected through conductor 25 to a junction point 26. A source of bias potential 28 is connected between juncture point 26 and the cathode 29 of photocell III. The screen grid 30 and the anode 3| of the said tube H are connected to the positive side of the source of potential 24, resulting in the triode connection, but it is understood that a series resistance may be connected in the screen grid lead to operate the tube as a beam power tetrode. I

Pilot relays 35, 36 and 31 and resistances 45 and 46 are connected in series between the cathode 34 and junction point 26. Each relay is of the same type and rating and has movable contacts 4|], 4| and 42 respectively. A current by-pass resistor 43 is shunted across the winding of the relay 36 so that a greater cathode current will be necessary to energize it than that required for relay 35 and another current by-pass resistor 44 is similarly shunted across the winding of relay 31 so that it will be energized at a greater cathode current than that required for energizing either relay 35 or 36. Resistors 45 and 46 are connected in series with the said relays to make up the required cathode load of the tube ll. At maximum conduction of photocell I0, tube I! will be biased to cut-oil and no current will flow through the said relays. With a larger coin placed in front of the opening l3, the photocell conduction decreases reducing the bias on grid 2| of tube H and a small amount of current will flow in the anode-cathode circuit of tube H which is sufficient to energize relay 35 and close contacts 40, 48. An even larger coin in position in front of the opening |3 will induce a greater cathode current suflicient to operate both relays 35 and 36 in opening contacts 40, 41 and 4|, 49 and closing contacts 40, 48 and 4|, 50. The operation is similar for the smallest coin which may be registered in the machine which, when in position before the opening [3, will induce a greater cathode current sufficient to energize the three relays and open contacts il, 49 and ill and close contacts 48, 50 and 52.

Secondary relays 53, 54 and 55 are in turn operated by the energizing of the first said relays. Each is of the same type and rating and one side of their windings are connected through conductors 55, 51 and 58, respectively, to contacts 48, 50 and 52, respectively. The other side of the said windings are connected to a common junction point 59 to place each of the relays through a conductor 50 in series with one side of the winding of a relay 6!, the other side of which winding is connected to the normally open contacts 62 and 52' of a delay relay 63. The contact E2 is connected to the negative terminal of a source of potential 68. The positive of terminal of source 68 is connected to junction point 10, and to normally closed pairs of contacts 42, 5|; 4!, 49; and 4B, 41 which are connected in series. The contact i! is connected through resistor 11 to the negative terminal of source 68. The winding of relay 33, shunted by series con-' nected resistance 8! and capacitance 80 and in series with resistance ll, is connected across source 63. Relay 63 is normally shorted by the normally closed contacts 41, 49 and 5|. The resistors 17, 8| and capacitor 80 form a. time circuit to delay the energizing of the relay 63.

Each relay 53, 54, 55 and BI is provided with a pair of normally open contacts 82, 83, 84 and 85, each pair of which is connected through a common conductor 86 to the negative terminal of source 58. The other contact of said pairs of contacts of the relays 53, 54 and 55 are connected to one side of the windings of the counter solenoid 87, 8B and 89, respectively, while the other contact of the relay BI is connected to one side of the winding of the previously mentioned index solenoid IS. The other side of the windings of the said solenoids are connected to a common conductor 98 and to the junction point 10.

The circuit herein described is adapted to operate a coin registering machine designed for the registering of cents, nickels, and dimes. A nickel placed before the opening l3 will reduce the photocell I conduction to induce a flow of cathode current suificient to energize relay 35. Upon the energizing of this relay 35, contact 4!] will be moved to contact 48. The opening of contact 41 will permit the charging of the capacitor 80 through the resistors 11 and 8| by battery 68.

When capacitor Bi! is sufficiently charged relay' 63 will be energized closing contacts 62 and 62 and the circuit of relay 53 will become energized to close the contacts 84 of solenoid 89 to operate the particular counter associated therewith. The energizing of relay 6! will close contacts 85 of the index solenoid Hi to cause the rotor I4 to be indexed to position an empty pocket l before the opening I3 and receive therein another coin to be registered. The positioning of an empty pocket before the opening I3 will return the photocell to maximum conduction and the tube I? to a cut-off condition which will cause de-energizing of relay 35 and permit contacts 40, 47 to close to short the relay 63 and the circuit return to normal.

When a cent is positioned in a pocket before the opening I3, the photocell conduction will be further decreased and a cathode current flow will be sufiicient to energize both relays 35 and 36 toopen contacts 47 and 49 and close contacts 48 and 5!]. Relay 63 will again be energized as previously stated to close contacts 52 and 62. The circuit of relay 54 will now be closed through the closed contacts 4| and 50 and the circuit of relay 53 opened at 49. Contacts 83 will now be closed to energize solenoid 88 to operate the particular counter associated therewith and the contacts 85 closed to energize index solenoid It to again index the rotor. Upon the indexing of the rotor, the circuit will again be returned to nor mal as previously stated.

The registering of the smaller coin or dime is similar, the circuit of the relay 55 bein closed at the closed contacts 42 and 52 through operation of relay 3'! and the circuits of relays 54 and 53 being open at contacts 41 and 49.

It should be understood that while three solenoid operated counters are shown by way of example, any number may be operated by merely adding additional pilot relays in the anode-cathode circuit of tube II. My invention, therefore, is not to be restricted except insofar as is necessitated by the prior art and the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a sorting machine, a vacuum tube having an anode, control grid and cathode, means imposing an energizing potential on said anode, means connected to said grid to normally maintain the tube at plate current cut-ofi, a plurality of pilot relays, the windings of said relays being connected in the space current path of said tube and each being responsive to a difierent current value, each of said pilot relays controlling a second relay, the contacts of said pilot relays being in circuit with a source of potential and the windings of said second relays and each comprising one set of make-break contacts serially arranged so that only one of said second relays is energized irrespective of the number of energized pilot relays and a time delay relay also in circuit with the windings of said second relays to delay their action until the pilot relays have assumed a static condition.

2. In a sorting machine, a vacuum tube having an anode, control grid and cathode, means imposing an energizing potential on said anode, means connected to said grid to normally maintain the tube at plate current cut-ofi, said means comprising a photocell and an exciter lamp for said photocell, and further means to vary the light falling on said photocell whereby the bias on said grid may be varied, a plurality of pilot relays, the windings of said relays bein connected in the space current path of said tube and each being responsive to a difierent current value, each of said pilot relays controlling a second relay, the contacts of said pilot relays being in circuit with a source of potentialand the windings of said second relays and each comprising one set of make-break contacts serially arranged so that only one of said second relays is energized irrespective of the number of energized pilot relays and a time delay relay also in circuit with the windings of said second relays to delay their action until the pilot relays have assumed a static condition.

3. In a fare registering machine, a photocell,

an exciter lamp for said photocell, a plurality of pilot relays, the windings of said relays being coupled to the terminals of said photocell and each being responsive to a different current value, each of said pilot relays controlling a second re- 2,594,423 5 lay, the contacts of said pilot relays being in REFERENCES CITED circuit with a source of potential and the wind- The following references are of record in the ings of said second relays and each comprising file of this patent: one set of make-break contacts serially arranged so that only one of said second relays is ener- 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS gized irrespective of the number of energized Number Name Date pilot relays and a time delay relay also in circuit 2,295,894 Dewan Sept. 15, 1942 with the windings of said second relays to delay 2,375,413 Guenther May 8, 1945 their action until the pilot relays have assumed a 2,424,243 Lowell July 22, 1947 static condition. 10 2,512,879 Roggenstein June 27, 1950 ALEXANDER M. GORDON. 

